Alan Powderham is a Director of Transportation of the Mott MacDonald Group where he leads research and innovation. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institution of Civil Engineers and of the Institution of Structural Engineers and a member of the Standing Committee of Structural Safety (SCOSS) of the ICE and IStructE.
Graduating from University College, Wales in 1969, the early part of his career focused on bridge design and construction. He now specialises in foundation engineering – particularly tunnels, cut-and-cover works and deep excavations in difficult ground conditions. He has taken a leading role in the promotion and development of the Observational Method and Value Engineering. He is a visiting lecturer at Cambridge University, Imperial College, Vienna Technical University and the University of Illinois and gave the 2009 Vienna Terzaghi Lecture.
His work has been recognized by many awards including Quality in Construction ‘Champion of the Decade’ and the ICE Gold Medal.
